Black Veils
by AndyMHG
Summary: Some secrets are never meant to be found. Senkyou Village has a gruesome one that managed to stay hidden... until now. Sakura and Ino are about to face the mission of their lives. "Don't dig out the dead when they want to stay buried." SxS
1. A call for help

Hello, everyone! This is my second Naruto fanfiction. I know I haven't continued my first one, but it was getting frustrating not having any idea of how to continue it, so I settled with starting another one. So far, this one is going pretty good. I already have six chapters written in my laptop. I will post them all at once and will probably post the seventh pretty soon. I'll give you lots of reading material because I start my sophomore year in university next Monday and I'll probably have little time to write, thanks to all the work I know they'll give me. I do promise to update, but I will probably won't do it too often. I apologize beforehand. ^_^U

Anyways, I hope you enjoy my story. I tried to correct all the grammar mistakes, but I'm pretty sure ther're a few still out there. Sorry about that! . Okay, here you have it!

I don't own Naruto or his characters. The rest, though, is mine. :)

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><p>It was the middle of winter. Snow was slowly falling from the skies, covering the dirt roads of the village in white; pure and cold. A small, feminine figure walked quickly down the main road, a long coat covering her body. She was heading towards the Hokage Tower as fast as she could, the cold freezing her to the bone. As she walked, she left behind the marks of her footsteps on the snow and puffs of mist danced from her mouth, effects of her agitated breaths.<p>

She finally made it, opening the double doors and closing them quickly behind. Her hand pulled back the hood of her coat and took off the black beanie hat, revealing her medium length cotton candy colored hair.

"Sakura, you made it!"

The pink haired girl turned at the sound of her name and came face to face with Shizune. The woman was waiting for her by the long staircase that led to the Hokage's office.

"Yeah. The storm isn't too strong yet so I managed." She said. "Is Lady Tsunade in her office?"

"Yes, she's waiting for you now."

Sakura smiled and followed Shizune to the Hokage's office. She had been called by an ANBU this morning to meet with Tsunade that night. _'A mission, probably.'_ she thought as she came face to face with the office doors and went inside. The first thing she noticed was the long cascade of blond hair standing right in front of her.

"Pig."

The blond turned around, her light blue eyes landing on her longtime friend and rival. A smile slowly crept to her face.

"Well, if it isn't Forehead Girl! What? No hug for me after I haven't seen you in a century?"

Sakura rolled her eyes before smiling at the woman and giving her a bear hug, using her super human strength, just a little, to show her friend how much she had missed her.

"S-sakur-a, I c-can't breathe-e!"

"Oh! Sorry, Ino."

The blond was still gasping for air when someone cleared their throat behind them. They immediately turned to face their village leader. Tsunade was looking at them with an amused expression in her eyes.

"I'm guessing this was a good choice for a two-man cell."

The women exchanged a look before turning to the Hokage. The older woman just shook her head before handing the two identical scrolls.

"There have been some problems on the village of Senkyou (enchanted land) in the northern mountains. There was a plague recently that wiped out most of the village's population. Investigations are already in progress. The hospital lost many of its personnel and they have requested our help since the village is in conflict with some nomads on the mountain trails and there have been many casualties."

The women nodded while quickly scanning the scrolls.

"Your mission is to go to Senkyou and help out in the local hospital as much as you can. There is also a group of civilians that have expressed to me their desire to help, but have no experience in the medical field whatsoever. You must also train them in the least time possible until they are able to fend for themselves in the hospital."

"How long will this mission take?" Ino asked.

"I will send another squad to aid in the investigation of the attacks. You will stay in Senkyou until the nomads are dealt with. We cannot risk leaving the hospital vulnerable until they are stopped. You will leave tomorrow at sunrise, understood?"

The two kunoichi nodded; their scrolls already safe inside their coats. Tsunade looked from one to the other and smiled warmly.

"You are two of my best medics. I know you will not let me down." She took a last look at Sakura. "You are dismissed."

"Hai!"

They disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

><p>"Sakura, you seem distracted."<p>

The Haruno snapped out of her daze and turned her attention to her blond friend.

"Oh, it's… it's nothing."

She could feel Ino's penetrating gaze at the side of her face when she turned to face the snowy road again. Sakura had agreed to accompany her friend to her apartment since it was on the same direction as her own, just further apart.

Ino chuckled after a few seconds to which Sakura glared at her from under her bangs.

"Forehead… you may be good at many things, but you've always been one heck of a bad liar." She stopped walking and crossed her arms over her chest, indicating she would not move further until she got an answer.

Sakura looked down, her hands turning into fists, so tight her knuckles turned white in a matter of seconds. Ino frowned and placed a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder, showing her support for whatever that was bothering her.

"You know you can trust me, right?"

"I know."

Ino sighed. She knew something was wrong. Sakura had never been the kind to go out a lot, but recently she hadn't even seen her. Nobody knew what was happening; she had been avoiding everybody, period. She had been very surprised when she had seen her enter the Hokage office for the mission briefing. Not even in the hospital had she seen her friend in the last weeks, even though she knew Sakura hadn't missed one day. That woman was a workaholic.

"Sakura… what's wrong? You've been avoiding everyone. We're your friends, we just want to hel-"

"Ryou cheated on me."

The silence that followed Sakura's words was thick, almost as thick as the snow they stood on. Ino had been left speechless. Her eyes searched her friend's face for anything that told her that this was just a bad joke and she was lying. She didn't.

"W-what?" was all she could whisper out.

"Ino, please, don't make me repeat-"

"No, dammit, no! I get it, I heard it, and I'm not deaf!" she immediately regretted exploding like that. Sakura was looking at her with an empty look and on the verge of tears. "Oh, Sakura, come here."

She cried. It was all she could do now, cry. She felt Ino's arms tighten around her shaking and sobbing frame. It was the first time she talked about this with anyone. She had been holding it inside for a month, since the moment she saw her boyfriend, Ryou, coming home late, drunk, with a black haired woman latched onto his arm. She had been shocked but had managed to hide her chakra and saw how he pulled the girl into the bedroom, _their _bedroom, and locked the door. She had run out of the apartment and had spent the night in her office in the hospital.

When she came back in the morning the woman was already gone and Ryou was making breakfast, as if nothing had happened. She had told him she had been called for an emergency at the hospital and he had bought it. He had acted normal after that day. She tried to convince herself that it had never happened, that he had been drunk and it had been a mistake; but everything had shattered one week after, when she had seen him at a local café, kissing the woman. Her heart was broken, _"Again."_ She ironically thought. So, she started avoiding everyone, sacred that they would find out. One day, she had finally found the courage to demand an explanation from Ryou. They had argued, but everything ended with them nude on the living room carpet, an arm wrapped possessively around her.

She had thought it was over, until the first episode was repeated. This time, she didn't run. An argument, worse than any before, took place and the last thing she remembers was the door banging close as Ryou grabbed the woman's arm and stormed out.

"I haven't seen him ever since."

The two friends were quiet for a while. It was a good kind of quiet, though, the one that meant no words were needed between them. Sakura was grateful for this. She wasn't sure if she could stand any sort of comment from anybody right now.

Suddenly, Ino let go of her and broke the silence.

"Tell you what. We're going back to my apartment and we'll have that nice, big bucket of chocolate ice cream I've been saving since the last time you stayed over. I hope it's still good, though."

Sakura let out a halfhearted laugh and wiped her tears with the back of her sleeve.

"Ino, we're in the middle of winter. It's freezing."

"So? You can't say no to chocolate ice cream. What are you, a man?"

"Bitch."

"Aaaand Sakura Haruno's back, ladies and gentlemen!" Ino shouted as she hugged her friend and messed up her hair in a friendly manner while the pinkette tried to pry her hands off her. She knew Sakura was still feeling the aftermath of her confession, but she would make sure to make her happy, at least for tonight. Once the mission started tomorrow, they would be completely focused on it and it would leave no space for her friend's two-timing scumbag.

"Let's go."

Sakura nodded and they made their way to Ino's apartment.

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><p>"Sakura! Sak- oh! There you are."<p>

Sakura looked back to see Ino leaning on the doorway of the bedroom. She was currently sitting on the bed, a photo frame held in her hands.

"What's that?" The blond asked as she made her way to her friend and sat beside her as she also looked at the photo. A small, sad smile crept into her face as she examined the image.

She remembered that day as if it had been yesterday. It had been a warm autumn morning. The whole ground underneath the big tree on her parents' backyard was covered in yellow, brown and red leaves. And right there, lying on the ground, were Sakura and Ino. The photo had been taken five years ago, making them both sixteen. They were both grinning at the camera, their hair a mess of blonde and pink with leaves in between.

Sakura had come over with Naruto and Shikamaru to help clean out the leaves, which were becoming a problem. While they were working, Sakura had tried to hit Naruto for something stupid he had said and had tripped and fallen head first into the pile of leaves. As Ino was laughing her ass off, the pink haired girl had pulled her down too and soon they were all laughing. Ino's mother had walked in on them at that moment with a tray holding some glasses with lemonade, and decided they looked "so cute", so she had ran back inside, bringing the camera with her when she came out.

"Remember how we could barely stand after that, because we were all laughing so hard?" Ino said as Sakura handed her the photo.

"Yeah, even Shikamaru seemed entertained."

There was a small pause.

"It was the first time."

Sakura turned her attention to Ino and gave her a confused look. Ino had her eyes glued to the frame. She held it with one hand while she ran her fingers gently over the glass surface with the other.

"What do you mean?"

Ino looked up at her and smiled.

"It was the first time I saw you so happy since _he _left."

Sakura's eyes widened for a moment before going back to normal. She hugged her body with her arms and let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Her face turned to the white ceiling as her eyes got lost on the blankness.

"It's been so long, I don't think… I even remember… what it was like."

"What was like?"

"Everything." Sakura said in a tone that signaled the conversation was over. She let herself fall on backwards on the bed. Ino soon followed suit and they stayed like that, lying down and looking at the ceiling, enjoying each other's company.

"Where's Shikamaru?" Sakura asked after a while, feeling herself falling slowly into sleep's arms.

"He's on a mission. He'll be back in a few days."

Sakura turned her head. "Then, you won't be here to greet him."

Ino chuckled, as if she had just remembered something, but didn't voice it out loud. "He can manage without me, I'm sure."

Sakura turned her head back to keep looking at the ceiling.

"Ino."

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

Ino looked at her and smiled. "It's nothing."

Sleep started to slowly settle in on the two kunoichi. It wasn't long before the tWo were far gone, but not before Sakura voiced something she just remembered.

"Ino."

"Mmm?"

There was a pause.

"We forgot the ice cream."

Ino sighed. "Crap." And she closed her eyes again as Sakura let out a weak giggle.


	2. The Northern Mountains

Here's the second chapter of Black Veils. This one is a little short; it's like a transition for the next one. Hope you enjoy it.

I do not own Naruto or its characters. The rest, though, is mine. :)

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><p>Usually, in the winter time, there weren't many missions assigned in Konoha. The main reason was, of course, the difficult weather. Snow storms were very frequent in the Fire Country, and most of the time came without warning. Many ninjas had lost their lives because of this, so the Hokage didn't send many teams out, unless it was extremely necessary.<p>

Ino and Sakura had been traveling for five days. Senkyou village was not too far away from Konoha, but the weather had been increasingly getting worse and it was beginning to slow them down. They had managed to arrive at the base of the northern mountains, but another snowstorm had formed and they were forced to stay at one of the many caves in the area.

Ino was currently using a stick to poke the small fire they had managed to build while Sakura leaned on a close wall and reread the mission scroll. They were both curled up in their sleeping bags, their bodies emitting a blue glow as they used chakra to try and warm themselves. It was one of the advantages of being a medic.

"I wonder if Tsunade already sent the team to investigate the nomad situation." Sakura commented, her eyes scanning the mission scroll.

"Now that you mention it…" Ino began, gaining Sakura's attention. "There hasn't been any activity here since we arrived. Those nomads were supposed to be wiping out every person that set foot here."

"The snowstorm must be keeping them at bay. Either that, they are higher up the mountain or…" Sakura stopped and her eyes wandered briefly to the back of the cave.

The northern mountains of the fire country were known for their absolute beauty, especially in the winter when their peaks became a white, snowy wonder. But there was also another reason, one that was mostly known by the shinobi world and the casual adventurer that decided to explore.

Ino looked at the direction Sakura was and then turned to her friend, realization suddenly hitting her.

"But I don't think… no. We've made so much noise already; they would've noticed by now." Sakura said and shook her head, as if trying to convince herself, but a small frown was still present in her face.

Ino seemed to think her friend's words through before looking at the back of the cave again. "Maybe… we should scout it."

"You think?" Sakura asked while rolling the scroll close.

"Well, with this weather I don't think the team Tsunade was going to send is even close. It could be days before they arrive. And _that_" They both turned to look at the entrance of the cave where the snowstorm was still going strong. "doesn't seem like will end anytime soon. Maybe, we should go. It's not like we have something better to do."

Sakura thought about it for a moment before standing up and rolling her sleeping bag before putting it, and the scroll, in the safety of her backpack. Ino nodded and did the same. The blond began making her way to the back of the cave as Sakura walked over to the small fire, kicking some dirt over it and successfully extinguishing it.

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><p>They had been walking for minutes now, but still no sign of any other human beside themselves. There was the casual rat and they had encountered a few bats as they walked deeper into the darkness. With only two flashlights as their light, they had a limited range of sight both forward and backwards. Everything was dark and humid now, and they would not deny that it had their nerves on edge, even if just a little.<p>

"Ino, you've been here before, right? On missions." Sakura asked casually, half curious, half attempting to subside the bad vibes she was getting from this place.

"Yeah, a few times, but I've never gone so far in. We mostly stayed on the mountain path or used the caves for shelter or hiding." They crouched down to avoid an upcoming bat. "But I do know some things about the caves."

"Enlighten me, Pig." Sakura said as she kicked a small rock that almost made her trip.

"Well, most of the cave system is natural. It was discovered by some explorers many years ago. They used to give tours, but the mountain terrain has become unstable over the years and has caused many landslides, so they canceled them. There's an old mine at the base of the southwest mountains and, if I'm not mistaken, there should be some sort of underground river at this side of the mountains."

"So, most of this is natural… It's amazing, really." Sakura said, looking in wonderment at the stalactites above them.

"It is. We do know, though, that there were people who actually lived here before they were discovered."

Sakura turned to Ino, amazement dancing in her eyes. "Really?"

"Yeah. They have found remains and stuff like that in the highest caves. Some people think there could even be whole villages inside that we don't know about, because the mountains are so huge." They dodged another upcoming bat. "Of course, criminals, gangs and the sort have also been found hiding here. I wouldn't be surprised if we found a rouge ninja instead of the nomads."

Ino instantly saw the mistake of voicing that out when Sakura stopped walking beside her. The pinkette had the strangest expression in her face as she glanced up at her friend. Ino cursed herself. The Yamanaka knew better than to bring someone back from the dead, especially in front of Sakura and her ever changing emotional state.

"You don't think…?" The pink hair medic trailed off as they began walking again.

Ino sighed. "To be honest, Forehead, I don't know. Maybe, maybe not. This cave system takes thousands and thousands of miles. We could find anything, or anyone, in here."

Sakura thought about her friend's words. "Orochimaru could've had a base here, right under our noses, and we would've never known."

"True, but know that he's dead, I doubt any of his _acquaintance_ is still here. Plus, the chances we find it are one in a million."

They came to a sudden stop. The path ahead of them was blocked by rocks and boulders, but they could easily see it continued on the other side.

"Must've been one of those landslides." Sakura said as they approached the rocks and started moving them aside. They tried to do so and gently as they could in fear of triggering another landslide that would most likely send the sharp stalactites above crashing down on them.

They made a small opening that could easily fit them, one at a time. They crossed slowly to the other side and pointed the flashlights forward. The first thing they noticed was that the path was different here. It wasn't as rocky and it felt less humid and a little breezier, almost as if there was an opening to the surface up ahead. They exchanged a look and began walking. It only took a few minutes before they stopped again; only this time it wasn't because of a landslide.

"My God." Ino whispered.

They were in front of a deep, deep abysm. The huge crater went on for miles, but they could easily see an opening to another cave on the other side and, if they were not mistaken, it was at the top of a seemingly endless rocky staircase. All around the place there were cave openings like the one they were on; as if they had been made to specifically end here.

The abysm was so deep they couldn't see the end for it was too dark down and a thick mist seemed to loom all over. They could make out the peeks of some rather big stalagmites that emerged from the mist. The ceiling of this cave was extremely high and it had few openings to the surface, granting them a little more visibility. Also, because it was winter, snowflakes filtered through and seemed to dance to a mysterious rhythm in the air. When they looked close enough, they could see that the stalagmites had some type of crystals on them which reflected the light from above all over the cave in strange, abstract shapes.

It was, all in all, breathtaking.

"I can tell you something. This is not Orochimaru's base."

Sakura let out a laugh at her friend's words but shut her mouth quickly at the clear and amazingly loud eco she was given back. "I suppose so." She said, more quietly this time.

They decided to investigate the area, seeing as they had some space to move outside to cave. Mainly, it was all rocks and dirt, though they were more of a silvery color than the path they had come from. Strangely enough, as Sakura examined the ground, it wasn't mixed with any sort of metal.

"What do you think about this, Pig?"

Ino crouched down next to Sakura and eyed the strange terrain.

"Silver dirt. Classy."

They examined the area for some more time, but aside from the strange dirt, they couldn't find anything else that deemed their attention.

"We should head back. The storm's probably stopped by now." Ino said. They were just about to head back when something shimmered momentarily behind them, catching Sakura's attention.

"Wait. Did you see that?"

"See what?"

The pink haired kunoichi walked over to the source of the shimmer. It was a small pile of rocks located directly at the edge of the abysm where they stood, right in front of the staircase at the other side. Even with the rocks, Sakura could see there was something underneath that reflected the light.

"Ino, help me move these rocks."

The other nodded and they proceeded to move the rocks. When the last one was removed, they were revealed an extraordinary sight. It was a crystal goblet. The silvery dirt at the base of the cup slowly faded away on its way off the ground to reveal the trans lucid crystal. Inside the goblet there were small crystal protruding out on random directions.

"Well, this is something, alright." Ino said.

"What's a goblet doing in the middle of this place?" Sakura grabbed it and tried to pull it out but failed. "I can't pull it out."

"I think it used to be a stalagmite; all the ones here seem to have the same crystals on them. Someone must've carved it into a goblet for some reason."

"I wonder why." Sakura said as she ran her fingers gently over it. "It's just so… perfect." Her wandering fingers suddenly came in contact with something on the ground next to the goblet. She wiped some dust away.

"What's that?" Ino asked and leaned closer to take a closer look.

"It's some sort of inscription. I can't read it, though. It looks like an ancient writing. I've never seen anything like this before… Ino, what are you doing?"

The blond was currently digging through her backpack. "Aha!" She pulled out a small camera snapped a shot of the goblet.

"Always be prepared for everything." She said as she shot the inscription and proceeded to snap some more photos of their surroundings. "We, obviously, won't be able to figure this out, but I'm sure someone else can." She finished her little photo shoot with a picture of Sakura with her eyebrow raised and an expression that clearly told her 'I can't believe that just came out of your backpack'. "Well, we're all set. Come on."

Sakura gave a last look to the goblet before standing up.

They didn't make it far, though, as an explosion was suddenly heard, followed by loud voices, and the entrance to the only way out they knew being blocked by a pile of falling rocks.

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><p>Cliff hanger! I hate them too! XD Please R&amp;R. :)<p> 


	3. A killer's warning

Chapter 3 is here! :) Just so you know, there are many OCs in this chapter, all rights belinging to me; except with Larissa, she's shared between me and my friend Yesy. :) Anyways, I hope you enjoy it!

I do not own Naruto or its characters. Everything else, thou, is all mine. :D

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><p>"What the..?"<p>

Everything happened in a matter of seconds. An explosion went off somewhere to their left, the force of it so strong that the stalactites above the entrance of the cave they had come from came tumbling down, successfully blocking their way out.

The two kunoichi acted quickly and were able to avoid a painful death by moving back. On instinct, their hands went to their kunai pouches, ready for anything that came at them. They didn't have to wait much, as loud voices started echoing on the cave, and they we're getting closer.

"Dammit." Sakura hissed under her breath. Her body was completely tense, ready to pounce into action; but there was also that feeling in her gut that wouldn't leave her alone. What if these people were not the nomads? What if they were someone else?

She didn't have much time to think about it as suddenly, from somewhere below the rock formation they were standing on, three figures jumped out of the mist and landed swiftly before them. They approach them slowly, the dust clearing out to reveal their identities.

They were three men. The one to the right was tall and muscled. He had short, blonde hair and brown eyes. The one to the left was slightly shorter in height, but still as muscled. He had long black hair tied down in a braid, blue eyes and a hairy mustache. The one in the middle was the shortest and least muscled, but his posture made him just as much intimidating as the others. His hair was also black, not too long, not too short, and his only visible eye was of a grey color; the other was covered by an eye patch. He seemed to be the youngest out of the three. They were all wearing some sort of uniform that was hard to make out with the little light they had; but the kunoichi easily saw that they had matching tattoos at the right side of their necks.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" said the blonde one as he crossed his arms.

"See? I told you I heard voices up here." said the one with the braid as he smirked at them.

"Who are you?" Ino asked, the kunai knife held firmly on her grasp. Suddenly, she felt a warm breath tickling the back of her neck.

"Interesting." A masculine voice behind her said.

It was the man that had been standing in the middle. Sakura had never seen anyone move that fast, not even the greatest shinobi she knew. She watched as the man grabbed the back of Ino's hitai ate, that was tied at her waist, and yanked it out of her. The blonde woman swiped her kunai at him, but the man was already gone. They looked around only to find him standing between the other two again.

"Give it back." Ino hissed; a threat evident in her words.

"Tell me…" the man said as he examined the hitai ate in his hands. "What are two young ninja like you doing so far from home?"

"Give. It. Back." Ino's voice was getting louder by the moment, echoing all around them.

The man looked at her for a moment before he smirked and threw the hitai ate to the woman's feet. She, however, made no movement to pick it up. Her eyes stayed focused on him as she observed him intently, waiting for his next move.

"Who are you?" Sakura asked.

"How rude of you to ask, when you haven't told us your names." The young man said and reached for something behind him. The other two did the same. "Guess we'll have to teach you some manners, princess." And with that, the men charged at them.

They were able to dodge the first attack and a fight broke out. Each of them had a different weapon. The blond man, being the biggest one, wielded double axes. No matter how heavy they looked, and probably were, he moved them around swiftly. The man with the braid a big sable, so sharp it easily cut through the rocks and cave walls around them. The last one wielded two simple katanas, but he was so fast they were having difficulty avoiding him.

The space they had to fight was limited, so the fight resolved around close combat. They had tried to form several jutsu, but whenever their hands came together, the man with the katanas would pounce on them, making it impossible for them to use anything else but taijutsu.

They were already out of breath from all the dodging. Sweat trickled down their face, worsening their visibility. Their skin and clothes were torn apart, blood flowing slowly from their wounds. No matter how much they tried, they didn't seem to be able to land a single hit on them. It was a wild goose chase.

Suddenly, the kunoichi found themselves cornered at the edge of the abysm. One step back and they would be on free fall. The men stopped attacking them. The one with the axes took a step forward.

"I think this is enough." The man with the eye patch said. "Victor."

The blond man stopped and took a step backwards, his enraged eyes fixed on the women.

"Let's make a deal, princess." The man with the eye patch said to Sakura as he placed his katanas back in their sheaths. "You two come with us willingly and we won't tear you apart." Sakura felt a shiver run through her spine. His threat sounded so real.

She narrowed her eyes at him. They would have to make a quick escape if they wanted to leave whole… and alive.

She tried to devise a plan. She glanced up at the ceiling quickly and noticed there were still some stalactites dangerously looming above them. If she could just cut them off with her chakra scalpels, they would have enough time to escape, as she had noticed the men had come from another cave opening just a bit further down from where they stood now. There was the possibility that more of these fiends were waiting for them there, but it was better than nothing.

Ino felt a sudden a surge of chakra beside her and glanced at Sakura. She had her eyes glued at the ceiling as her tightly closed fist had a faint blue glow on them. The blond kunoichi quickly understood what was about to happen. When Sakura glanced at her, she gave a small, almost unnoticeable nod.

Sakura's attention turned back to their adversaries. It was now or never.

"No." She said and threw the chakra scalpels at the ceiling, not before noticing the smirk that formed on the young man's face.

The stalactites came down on the three men, forcing them to move out the way. Those few seconds were the escape the kunoichi were waiting for as they quickly scrambled out of the danger zone and made their way quickly to the cave entrance below.

"Lightning, they're escaping!" they heard one of them shout.

"No, they're not."

The young man's voice was the last thing Sakura heard before two gun shots echoed through the cave. She felt a sudden pain in her back that made her tumble down on the ground, her head hitting hard against a rock. Everything went black.

* * *

><p>Sakura was woken up by a dull throb on her head. She opened her eyes slowly, but closed them quickly as a bright light came into view.<p>

She barely remembered what happened. There were gun shots and then everything became blurry. One of the bullets had hit here, she knew as much by the stinging pain in her back and the dried blood she felt there, but she could also tell the bullet had been removed, though the wound hadn't been healed. After opening and closing her eyes a few times, she was able to take in her surroundings.

The first thing she noticed was that she had been tied up. Her wrists were tied with a strong rope behind her back as well as her ankles. It did not restrain chakra, but it was tight enough so she could feel her blood flowing at an irregular rhythm and she wondered just how purplish they should look. This, also, prevented her from making any hand signs. _'How convenient'_ she thought. A noise from somewhere around her told her she was not alone. She took in her surroundings.

It was the inside of one of the caves. To her right was the long tunnel that led deeper into the cave system and to her left was the cave entrance. The storm had already stopped and she also noticed it was twilight because of the dim light outside. If she took a few steps, she would be out.

"Where am I?" she heard someone mumble beside her.

It was Ino. Apparently, she had been knocked out as well and had just woken up. Sakura was sure she looked just as messed up and beat as her friend.

"Ah, you're awake." The both turned forward, startled by the sudden voice, noticing they weren't alone.

The three men they had encountered earlier were not the only ones here, just as Sakura had thought. There were about four more people in the cave. They easily recognized the two bulky men from before, but the one they had called "Lightning" was missing. There was another man with messy red hair and red eyes cleaning a handgun on the wall in front of them. The one that had spoken was a young woman with long black hair and penetrating dark blue eyes. Both of them also had the strange tattoos and the uniform, which was easier to see now with the light from outside and the small fire burning in the middle of the place. It consisted of a long black coat with a hoodie; a long sleeved grey button up shirt with a black blazer buttoned over it, which had some pockets and a gold metal emblem on the left side of the chest; black leather gloves; the men wore long dress pants and the woman a black pleated skirt and thigh high grey socks held up with a garter belt; and combat boots. The lack of ninja sandals told them they were not shinobi.

They had imagined they would face a bunch of scrawny, perverted men that had not bathed in weeks, probably ninjas or a gang of some sort. For some nomads that were supposedly going rampant and killing everybody that set foot on the mountain trail, they looked very civilized.

"I see you guys went overboard again." The women said as she took in the bad state Ino and Sakura were in.

"They made it to the Crystal Sanctuary. They should be dead by now." Victor said as he glared at them. They glared back.

"I guess you have a point." The woman said. "Rocket should arrive soon. We'll see what we do then."

"We should start the interrogation now. She'll force us to it, anyway." The red head said as he placed his gun on the ground beside him and stood up. "What do we do first?"

The woman shrugged her shoulders signaling she didn't care at all and proceeded to open the back pack belonging to Sakura. Said kunoichi frowned at the invasion of her personal things.

"So, you are ninja." She mentioned. "Medics, to be more specific. From the Leaf Village." She looked at them for a confirmation but they just stared at her with a blank expression, their faces giving nothing away. "I'll take that as a yes."

She took her hand from the back pack and was currently holding the mission scroll. The kunoichis' expressions told her it was something important so she opened it and began to silently read it.

Sakura and Ino glared at her, while on the inside they were panicking. Their identities and mission information were in there, and now she knew. They tensed as the woman let out a laugh.

"Is that what they're calling us now? Nomads? Well, that's a new one. I'm used to "killers", "mercenaries", even "demons", but this one is much more pleasing. Makes us look tame, even." She finished reading it and tossed it to the red haired man as she approached their hostages and crouched down in front of them.

"You fools don't know what you're getting yourselves into."

"Fraternizing with the dead again are we, Larissa?"

Everyone turned to the entrance of the cave to see two more figures joining them. The one that had spoken was Lightning, his air of arrogance and supremacy filling the cave. The other person was a girl. She looked younger than even Sakura and Ino, but they could easily feel the dangerous aura she emitted. Her hazel eyes were completely focused on them while her long, blondish auburn hair swayed in its two high pigtails as she walked.

"What can I say? I like making new friends." The woman, Larissa, said as she stood up and walked over to Lightning while the girl approached them.

In a matter of seconds she took out a small pocket knife and held it against Sakura's throat. The blade dug into the flesh just enough to draw a little blood out.

"I believe you two are lost. Not many ninja wander around this place anymore. It's become, dare I say, dangerous." She finished with a smirk.

"I am so scared right now." Sakura retorted sarcastically. Even with a knife held to her jugular, she felt the urge to stand up to her capturer. The fact that a child was threatening her pissed her off. She instantly felt her knife dig more into her neck, drawing more blood.

"Watch your tongue. You might just lose it." The girl said as she slid the knife gently over Sakura's lips. "What is your business here?"

"They came to aid Senkyou." The red head said.

The girl looked shocked for a moment before pulling back the knife and standing up abruptly. Her eyes flickered from one kunoichi to the other.

"You're kidding, right?" she said with an amused expression on her face. She started laughing. They heard the guy with the mustache mumble something about 'Rocket's mood swings'.

"Nope. The mission scroll's right here." Larissa said as she handed it to her. Rocket scanned it quickly before looking back the kunoichi. "You're some ass crazy bitches, you know? You must have some serious suicidal tendencies to just waltz into Senkyou like this. I myself would not dare set foot in there." She commented, still looking at them in disbelief.

Sakura and Ino gave her a confused look, suddenly feeling lost. These were the nomads that had been terrorizing Senkyou village, the ones that had been wiping out every living soul that dared enter the northern mountains, and yet, something told them these people were afraid. Afraid of something in the village they were supposed to aid. What could possibly be more dangerous in this area than them? Those three had almost killed them both earlier, and yet, it felt as if there was something missing. A crucial piece of information was missing.

"_It could also be a well-practiced lie"_ Ino though.

"Explain yourself." She demanded the girl.

"You don't even know where the hell you stand, why should I be the one to enlighten you? I'll just tell you this." She crouched down in front of the again. "If you're smart enough, you'll go back the way you came from."

A short silence followed as the kunoichi swallowed the warning. What was going on here?

"So… what now? Aiden?" Larissa asked.

The red haired man approached them and took out a small device from his pocket. They couldn't make out what it was. He pointed it at them as he watched a small screen it had and held it for a few seconds before placing it inside his pocket again.

"Well, these ones haven't been inside the village yet." Aiden said. "Do we let them go?" he asked Rocket.

She was not able to answer though, as a voice was suddenly heard. It came from a small communicator on Rocket's ear.

"_We need backup. There are three civilians in the western entrance. I repeat, we need backup."_

"Shit!" Rocket cursed and turned to the other nomads.

"Victor, Louis, and Aiden, head to the western entrance and contact Allison on your way there. Larissa and Lighting, you come with me to the Crystal Sanctuary." She turned to the kunoichi. "I must thank you, though, for your discovery at the sanctuary. It will be rather useful." They instantly knew she was referring to the goblet.

"Let's go!" she said. Victor, Louis, and Aiden sprinted out of the cave as fast as they could, weapons ready in their hands. Rocket started in the direction of the Crystal Sanctuary at the back of the cave. Larissa followed her, but not before throwing something at Sakura. "Nice knowing you Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka." The two soon disappeared from view.

Lightning approached them slowly and stood in front of Ino. He took something out of his pocket and threw it at her feet. It was her hitai ate. "Thought you might want it back." He then turned to Sakura and gave her a smirk. "See you around, princess." With that, he disappeared into the darkness too.

The two kunoichi were left alone, the wind blowing outside and the crackle of the flames of the campfire being the only noise. Sakura looked at what Larissa had thrown her. It was a pocket knife, small, but just what they needed to cut off the ropes. She looked at Ino in disbelief.

After moving around as they could, and a few failed attempts, they were able to cut the ropes from their wrists and ankles. They now stood at the entrance of the cave rubbing their sore wrists.

"Well, that was… interesting." Ino said, mocking Lightning with the last word. "I will admit, though, I was expecting more blood and guts flying around."

Sakura shook her head at her friend's antics before looking at the knife Larissa had left them. "Do you think they were talking about the plague when they mentioned not wanting to enter Senkyou?"

"I'm not sure. Everything seems out of place." Ino said as they grabbed their back packs and began walking outside, the darkness slowly setting in, and snow falling from the skies. "They only seem interested in killing people who have been in Senkyou, yet they dare not enter the village. Why?"

Sakura looked up ahead. They were halfway up the mountain where they stood and from here they could see the point where the mountain stopped and started going downhill on the other side. Senkyou was just at the base of the mountains at the other side. If the weather stayed calm, they would make it before sunset tomorrow. "I guess there's only one way to find out."

Ino sighed. "Well, what are we waiting for? We should hurry. We don't know if those people will come back anytime soon and decide to change their minds about letting us go."

Sakura nodded. She pressed her hand to the wound on her neck and healed it quickly. "And it's not exactly safe to heal here. We should hurry to the hospital in Senkyou. I only have two soldier pills left."

"That won't do."

"No."

They started walking. They were uncertain and couldn't really imagine what they would find once they arrived at Senkyou, but they were two of the best shinobi of Konohagakure. They were ready for anything.

"You know, I was thinking… Lightning is way hotter that your sorry excuse for a man ex-boyfriend."

"Shut up. Just shut up."

"Heh, heh."

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><p>Finishing with a little humor. Hah, hah. What could posibbly be waiting for them in Senkyou that these nomads seem so afraid of? You'll have to keep reading to find out. :) Please R&amp;R!<p> 


	4. Senkyou's welcome committee

Chapter 4! :)

I do not own Naruto or its characters. The rest, though, is mine. :)

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><p>Luck had been on their side. The snow hadn't stopped falling, but there hadn't been any snowstorms. They managed to arrive at the edge of the mountain by nightfall the next day, and that is where they stood now.<p>

The sight from Senkyou village from up there was, all in all, impressive. The village was actually pretty small, a little less than half of Konoha. Most of the houses were wooden, with the occasional cement one, these probably belonging to the richer people. They easily found the center of the village. It had taller buildings, one of them probably being the hospital. Also, since Senkyou was located in the countryside, it had miles and miles of crops. Everything, absolutely everything, was covered in snow. They could make out the roads because the snow had been wiped out.

"It looks like a little wonderland." Sakura mentioned.

"Yeah. I still have no idea how those nomads considered _this_ hostile."

"We should hurry. I think I've lost too much blood." Sakura said. She was starting to feel light headed and from time to time dark spots clouded her vision.

Ino nodded and they began their descent on the rocky mountain.

It took them a few hours to finally reach the base of the mountain. The entrance to the village wasn't far, but the exhaustion from the fight and the blood loss from their wounds were starting to take a toll on them. They stumbled to the village gates slowly.

"Hello? Is anybody there?" Ino asked loudly.

There was a small wooden window on the door. They watched as it slowly slid open. A man, the gate keeper, appeared on the other side. When he took in their appearance, he frowned.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

Sakura managed to pull her hitai ate from her hair and showed it to him. The moonlight was reflected on its metal surface, making the Leaf Village symbol clear for the gatekeeper to see.

"My name is Sakura Haruno. This is Ino Yamanaka and we traveled from Konohagakure to answer your call for help."

The man's eyes widened for a moment before he shut the window close. Sakura was ready to bring the gates down with her fists when they opened abruptly. They examined the small crowd that waited for them at the other side. There were children, teenagers, adults, and elders, all looking at them. Sakura could tell they were afraid. Seeing so many of their own die at the hands of the nomads, it was normal they distrusted outsiders, even if they were there to help.

The crowd suddenly parted to let someone through. It was a small girl. She had naturally tanned skin and short brunette hair. Her big, expressive light brown eyes stared at them. She wore a pink dress and a dark colored coat over it to keep her warm. She approached the two kunoichi cautiously and stopped in front of them.

"Will you help us?" she asked.

Ino crouched with difficulty in front of the girl. "Of course." Those were her last words before she passed out. The panic instantly settled in. There were murmurs, gasps and screams from the crowd. An old woman stepped forward and leaned down next to Ino. She reached for the woman's pulse.

"She just passed out. Help me take her to the hospital."

One of the men closer to them helped carry Ino over to the hospital. Everybody followed; Sakura, the old woman and the small girl taking the lead. Sakura was sure she passed out a few times before they reached the building. Ino was quickly taken to one of the rooms while Sakura was guided to another. She fell asleep as soon as she lay down on the small bed.

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><p>"Is she alive?"<p>

"Of course she is alive. I was the one in charge of treating her, remember?"

"That is precisely why I'm worrying."

"Knock it off you too."

"Look! She's waking up!"

"Thank goodness!"

Sakura opened her eyes. She was still in the hospital bed. Her body felt completely sore and she knew it would take a few days for her to be in good shape again. She could feel the different needles piercing her skin as well as the bandages wrapped on her head and torso. In the background she could hear the faint beeping of the machines she was connected to. As she looked up, she saw she wasn't alone.

There were four people surrounding her, their faces shoved into her line of vision. There were two young men, a young woman, and the little girl from earlier.

"Ohayou!" said one of the boys, his voice not hiding his excitement. He had short brown hair and blue eyes. "How are you feeling? OWW!"

"That is my line, shorty pants. She's my patient."

It was the girl who had spoken. She had fiery auburn hair and golden eyes. Sakura watched amused as the young boy from earlier held his head in pain from the punch he had received from the female. The small girl quickly went to his side to check if he was okay and pointed an accusatory finger at the young girl calling her a "meanie". The other guy, who had white hair and golden eyes, just stood there shaking his head.

Maybe it was just her, or the drug induced state she was currently in, but she felt a pang of nostalgia at the scene. If it wasn't for the presence of the small girl, they looked just like…

"Ahem!" the young girl cleared her throat, snapping Sakura from her momentary daze. "Ohayou!" she said with an overenthusiastic tone, like one of those annoying nurses you found in the pediatric section. "How are you feeling?"

"Ah… Better than yesterday, I guess." The pink haired girl answered, noticing how hoarse her voice sounded.

"Hah!" said the girl and pointed a finger at the white haired boy. "That means I did a good job. Suck on that, Yuki!"

"Whatever."

The brown haired boy slowly approached Sakura and smiled. "I'm Hiroshi, but everyone calls me Hiro. That's Chi and Yuki, they're siblings. Oh, and this is Haruka." He motioned to the small girl. "She's the granddaughter of our village's leader, the one that called for your help."

Haruka nodded happily and placed her small hand over Sakura's bigger one. "Are you really going to help us?"

"Yes, we are." Sakura knitted her eyebrows, as if suddenly remembering something. "Speaking of 'we', where is that Pig?"

"Pig?" Hiroshi, Chi and Yuki asked confused.

"Don't get your grandma panties in a knot, Forehead. I'm coming." said a voice from outside the door.

In came Ino a few minutes later. She was in a wheelchair, her IV at her side. She was wearing a hospital robe, just like Sakura, and she could faintly see the bandages underneath. The blond was accompanied by a male nurse, who was pushing the wheelchair, the old woman from last night, and two others, a man and a woman, just a little younger that the old woman. The male nurse left once he had placed Ino inside the room.

"I see you're awake. That's good." said the man.

The moment they crossed the door, Haruka ran over to the old man and hugged his legs, the only thing she could reach because she was so tiny.

"Grandpa!" Sakura smiled as she watched the man bend down to pick her up and hug her back.

"How's my little princess today?"

"I made a new friend, Grandpa! She's really pretty!" the girl said as she looked back at Sakura.

Sakura blushed as she felt all eyes on her. She sat up slowly. "I'm Sakura Haruno. Nice to meet you, sir." She said to the man and gave him a small bow.

"Nice to meet you too, Sakura. I'm Jihiro Nazawa and this is my wife, Hana Nazawa. We are glad to see you two are alive. Most of the people who travel through the mountains lose their lives. You girls are a miracle."

Sakura and Ino exchanged a look. They were alive because the nomads have spared them. Apparently, they were only killing people from the village or that had been in the village. They knew this had to be discussed; maybe later, when they had more privacy with the two Nazawa.

"I… guess we are." Said Ino, still looking at her friend.

"I hope those bastards burn in hell."

All heads turned to the old woman, who had just spoken. Sakura noticed that she had a white, lab coat on. _'So she's a doctor here.'_ She thought. Sparing a glance at the teenagers that were still in the room, she noticed that both Chi and Yuki were wearing nurse uniforms.

"That plague wiped out many of our people, and then _they_ appear and start killing the rest." She said as she checked the machines Sakura was attached to. "I wished at least they sent them whole. Do you have any idea of the things that we witness here every day?" she had turned around and was now looking from Ino to Sakura. "Burned, decapitated, shot; sometimes they only bring back a torso or a limb. I would understand if the victims were people who actually did something wrong. It usually is the father who went to hunt a wild rabbit for dinner or the mother and daughter who went to pick up flowers, or the young kid that wandered too far."

An uncomfortable silence followed. The two kunoichi had had an idea of what they would find here, but it seemed the situation was much, much worse. The nomads had seemed dangerous, but not to the extent that they would literally tear the villagers to pieces. It was gruesome, primitive.

"I am aware the Godaime Hokage was leading some investigations on the nomads." said Mrs. Nazawa.

Ino nodded. "She was going to send a team right after we left."

"The faster they get here, the better. We can only stand so much." said Mr. Nazawa. "Well, I'm afraid I have to leave you. I have other business to attend to. Again, we are glad you are here. Senkyou is eternally grateful. Excuse me." With that he left, Mrs. Nazawa close behind holding Haruka's hand as the girl waved with the other at the two ninjas.

"I have an operation to attend to. Be sure to rest; you start working as soon as you can walk." said the old doctor. "You two." She signaled to Chi and Yuki. "Go check on the other patients. These two can manage by themselves. Now, out of my sight." The siblings nodded and rushed out, not even sparing a glance at the others. The doctor gave the women one last look before storming out the door. Ino, Sakura and Hiroshi we're left alone.

"Such a charming old hag. I can tell I'm going to love her." Ino said sarcastically as she slumped on the wheelchair. Sakura snorted and shook her head.

"It's not fair." Hiroshi suddenly said, catching their attention.

He ran a hand through his hair as he walked over to the nearest chair and plopped down, his eyes glaring at the tiled floor.

"It's not fair. Why is this happening? Why?" he gripped his hair harshly as he sobbed quietly. "We haven't done anything to them! It's like they want to exterminate us… as if we were insects."

Suddenly, he felt a hand grip his arm softly. He looked up to meet Ino's blue eyes. She had managed to stroll up to him and gave him an apologetic smile.

"Did you lose someone precious to you?" she asked.

Hiroshi's face saddened as he looked to the floor again, his arms resting over his knees.

"My father had gone to fish at a pond in one of the caves. He used to take me there when I was little. It had the biggest goldfish you could imagine. He wanted to bring back one for my mother on her birthday because she loved them so much." He stopped and took a deep breathe, a silent tear rolling down his cheek. Ino gave a light squeeze to his arm, giving him support. "He came back in five pieces. They had cut off his limbs and burned his head. It was only ashes when we found him."

Sakura felt her chest tighten at the sight. He was so young. She could only imagine how she would feel if it had been her father. The difference was that her father was a shinobi. Both her parents were. Since before she had started at the Academy, she had been forced to face the fact that one day they might not come back from a mission, or would come back dead. She was, mostly, prepared to face the pain. Ino was too.

"The house feels so… empty… without him."

"I had a sensei once." Ino began. Sakura bowed her head and felt a knot forming on her throat. She knew where Ino was going.

Hiroshi raised his head to look at the blond.

"I always thought he was a little loose around the edges. He smoked like a chimney, too." She smiled softly as if imagining her words. "He was a great shinobi, though, and the best sensei you could have." She looked at him. "He was like a second father to me… and he was killed right before my eyes."

Hiroshi seemed shocked for a moment. It was as if he had just realized who he was talking to. They were both ninjas, two of the best ninjas of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Not many news from other villages came to Senkyou because it was so apart from the rest of the world. They knew, though, some things about the recent war that had shaken the shinobi world to its core, like the big role Konoha had played. _'They must've seen so many loved ones die.'_

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" Ino asked.

"I'm sure… hah… that you've suffered more than me. I got worked up over something so insignificant, when you've probably had it much worse. Gomen." He said as he wiped his tears away, feeling foolish.

"Don't say that." Sakura said; her voice icy all of a sudden. They both turned to her as she looked directly at Hiroshi, her eyes focused on the young man.

"But I thought…"

"We have lost many loved ones, more than you can imagine. Our lives as shinobi are like that. Survive or die; kill or be killed. With time, those wounds of the ones we have lost heal, but it's a slow process. We never forget them or think of their deaths as 'insignificant'. They're always present, in our hearts. We block the grief, but never the memory."

"That's right." Ino said. "Every single person we've lost is just as important as the other."

"So don't ever consider your father's death as insignificant ever again. He's just as important as the rest." Sakura finished and smiled.

Hiroshi looked at her for a moment before he smiled. "Thank you." Sakura smiled back. Ino looked from one to the other, and smirked to herself. _'I'm pretty sure now that douche bag Ryou is out of the picture. Thank God."_

"Oh well." The blond said as she grabbed the sides of the wheelchair and stood up. This was received by an outraged Hiroshi, telling her she should rest. "Nonesense. I actually feel a lot better. It's just a few scratches. Besides, the sooner we're up and walking, the faster we'll patch up this place."

Sakura snickered. They had been beaten and shot, but yeah, they've had it much worse so it was just natural Ino considered it like a few scratches. She watched amused as Ino walked out the door with her IV, the wheelchair left forgotten on the room, while Hiroshi tried desperately to get her to sit down again, whispering something about Doctor Chung having their hides, and Ino cussing back and swatting his hands away.

Sakura decided to lay down for a bit, before her blond friend came storming in to drag her out. So much had happened, and it had only been a few days since they left Konoha. Her mind was still trying to process what happened yesterday with the nomads. She wondered what would've happened if they had stayed a little longer, if the nomads hadn't left to dispatch of the civilians that had appeared. If the kunoichi had pushed the right buttons, would they have told them what was wrong in Senkyou? What had then so afraid that they we're massacring the villagers?

Suddenly, feeling more awake than before, she threw the white cotton covers aside and stood up slowly. At first she wobbled a little, but after she recovered she was standing straight, already making her way out the door. A pain suddenly shot through her arm and she noticed she still had the IV on, as well as all the other cables attached to her skin. She cursed as she saw the small droplet of blood seep from her hand. She pulled off the cables, grabbed the plastic bag and walked out.

She couldn't wait for her chakra reserves to fill up again so she could heal herself. It was uncomfortable to walk around all wrapped up.

As she passed a window, she stopped to look outside. It was a sunny day and it had stopped snowing. The village was buzzing with life now. People walked around going on with their daily lives. She smiled inwardly at the resemblance it held with Konohagakure. She was determined to make this mission as productive as possible. She would make sure to help as much as she could and train the civilians to their full capacity. She wasn't going to let the nomads get away with what they were doing.

With her mind finally set she began walking again through the white halls and began searching for Ino.

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><p>Another sort of introductory chapter. Next one will be way longer. Please R&amp;R! :)<p> 


	5. Scratching the surface

Here's chapter 5! This one's pretty long. I just couldn't find the right place to end it... And then I did. :) Enjoy!

I do not own Naruto or its characters. The rest, though, is mine. :)

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><p>It had been two months since Sakura and Ino arrived in Senkyou. They soon discovered that the small village was, indeed, like a wonderland. Because of the size of the place, almost everybody knew each other, so there was always that familiarity feeling in the air. It was like a big family and, even though they were not from here, the villagers treated them as such.<p>

Senkyou Village consisted of two farming neighborhoods, the hospital, some Inns, general stores, a small movie theatre, a park, the Nazawa Manor, a supermarket, and a few bars. It was just the necessary, but the villagers were used to it. There was also a lake, that was currently frozen, and a forest near the base of the mountains; and, of course, the miles and miles of crops.

They were staying at a small Inn not too far from the hospital. It was run by an old man that, for some reason, liked to hit on Ino. Sakura would not hesitate to remind her friend of this, just to see her disgusted expression and the fits she threw about it. It was rather comical.

"Don't look now, Pig, but your Romeo's coming this way." Sakura said.

The two were making their way out of the Inn to go to the hospital. After they recovered from the nomad attack, Doctor Chung had immediately put them on duty. Ino mostly dealt with the pediatric section, believe it or not, and the emergencies. Sakura, on the other hand, barely left the operation room. Doctor Chung had told them once, when they started working, that the hospital in Senkyou was a daily circus. The Kunoichi soon discovered she hadn't been lying.

They were pretty sure the amount of death they had witnessed this past month was extremely close to the one in the war. The villagers would mostly come severely injured, courtesy of the nomads. With the two medics' help, many had managed to survive, but every day they would lose a patient. At first, they would return to the Inn frustrated, feeling as if they had failed; but, they soon grew accustomed to it. They did their best and celebrated whenever they were able to give someone another chance at life.

"Fuck my sad life." Ino mumbled as the man slowly approached them.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite customers! Ohayou!" he said happily. Sakura stifled a laugh when she noticed the look he gave the blond. "Ohayou!" she said back. Ino merely grumbled.

"How's everything at the hospital?" he asked.

"It's great, actually. A lot of work, but great nevertheless." Sakura was the one to answer, seeing as Ino was trying to block the man out.

"Oh. Well, you should take a break sometime. You both work so hard every day." He then stood right in front of Ino. "If you ever need something, like a massage, just ask. I'm really good with my hands." The suggestive tone, accompanied with his wriggling eyebrows and wink, did not go unnoticed by them. Sakura excused herself as she ran out. Ino just stared at him, her eyes as big as saucers.

"What do you say?" he asked the woman.

They heard a hard laugh from outside.

"I-I gotta go." Ino said and stormed out.

She found Sakura quickly. The pink haired girl was leaning against the wall of the Inn, laughing her guts out. She approached her and slapped her arm hard, her eyes enraged.

"What?" Sakura said as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I hate you." Ino said and started making her way to the hospital. Sakura ran after her.

"Why? It's not my fault you like to flaunt your assets" she grabbed her own breast to emphasize her words. "And cause perverted old men to fantasize with you. You know, if he ever needs a checkup, I'll send him to you."

Ino's head wiped so fast, Sakura swore she heard something snap. "You wouldn't." Sakura only grinned at her. "You are a bad friend, Sakura Haruno, a bad friend." She felt Sakura embrace her suddenly as they walked.

"You know I'm kidding. If he ever needs a checkup, I'll send him to that old hag, Chung. Maybe he'll like better someone his own age."

"Hah! One attempt to hit on her and he'll be sodomized with his own foot." The blond said, causing both of them to crackle up.

A few minutes later, they were making their way through the hospital doors. Ino went off to grab some coffee in the cafeteria while Sakura made her way to a small classroom on the second floor.

About two weeks ago she had started giving medical lessons to the civilians that were interested in helping in the hospital. They were very determined and willing to learn, something she liked. Because of this, they were progressing really fast. A few more weeks and they could start working in the hospital, no problem.

"Sakura! Ohayou!"

The medic glanced up from some documents she was reading from her desk. Hiroshi walked in slowly, his medic uniform on and a smile on his face. Unknowingly, she blushed. He was one of the civilians taking her lessons. She discovered he was only three years younger than them. He still had that baby face, but his body was well developed. Sakura shook these thoughts from her head as quickly as they came.

"Ohayou. Ready for today's lesson? We'll be learning about herbs and, if you guys do well, I was thinking of doing some basic chakra training so I can start teaching you medical jutsu." She laughed when she saw his eyes widen.

"Really? That is so awesome!"

The next thing she felt was a pair of strong arms wrapped around her. She sat there awkwardly as the young man embraced her. His breath tickled her ear as he mumbled a small "Thank you."

She wasn't going to deny it; Hiroshi was a sweet and attractive man. In their time in Senkyou, she had gotten to know him better. He lived alone with his mother on the northern part of the village. He had wanted to become a medic since his father was murdered, because he wanted to help the village. He was grateful for this opportunity he was given and he never ceased to express it. He was a hard worker and a determined person by nature. A little clumsy, maybe, but Sakura thought that just added to his charm.

She knew she felt attracted to him in some way. Even Ino had noticed and teased her about it just as she teased her about the Inn keeper. Her friend had suggested they went on a date a few times, but Sakura refused to give it a second thought. Her heart was still recovering from her breakup with Ryou and, as much as she hated to admit it, there was a part of her heart that still loved him. After all, he had been her first real relationship and the only man that had been able to help her move on from a certain person she wanted to forget.

She was pulled back to reality when the rest of her students began entering. As soon as they were all in, she began the lesson, putting on hold the thoughts about her miserable love life.

* * *

><p>"Oh my God, did he really do it?"<p>

The kunoichi had just finished an emergency operation. It had been three people this time, all in the brink of death, but they had been able to save them. They were cleaning their hands in the sink as other surgeons walked by helping to clean out the floor.

"Yes, and it didn't even leave a mark. Look." Sakura raised her hand and showed it to Ino, who stared at it with a bewildered expression.

As promised, she had started teaching her students the basics about chakra and medical justu. She was impressed to discover that some of them, including Hiroshi, had an impressive amount of chakra for a civilian. As a surprise test, she had made small, not too deep, cuts on her hand and had gone one by one so they could heal her and see if they had really been paying attention to her lecture. The one right before she was called to the operation room had been Hiroshi and, by far, he had been the only one to not open the wound more or leave a nasty scar, which she had already cured, of course.

"You should be proud. If he can do that in so little time, you must be doing something right." Ino said as Sakura smiled a soft smile.

"I guess."

"Ooh! Someone's blushing!" Ino said with a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows.

"Oh, shut up."

"Heh, heh."

Suddenly, they heard a loud voice behind them. They turned around and watched as Chi approached them, her hands in the air, her body moving to an unknown rhythm. It took them a few moments to realize she was dancing and not having a seizure.

"T.G.I.F.! T.G.I.F.! Oh, yeah! It's Friday, Friday, you gotta get down on Friday! You gotta get drunk on Friday, and laid too! Uh, uh, uh!" she sang as she leaned on Ino and kept dancing. The blond gave her a 'what the fuck' look. Yuki made his way in after her with an annoyed expression on his face.

"More than me, you are embarrassing yourself."

"Shut up, snowy head! We're gonna dance on table tops, and take shots, oh yeah! It's Friday!"

"What is it this time? Drugs? The fuck's wrong with you?" Ino asked as the girl accidentally elbowed her on the nose. "OW!"

"Probably; it wouldn't be the first time." Yuki mumbled.

"Shut up! It's not drugs, dummy! It's Friday! F-r-i-d-a-y! And you know what that means?" she looked at Sakura this time. The woman shook her head. "Bar night! This asshole here," Yuki frowned. "Miya, and I are hitting the bar today and you two are coming with us."

"We weren't really planning on 'getting down' today." Sakura said as she made some movements with her arms (like the 'raise the roof' dance move). "It's being a long day."

"Excuses, excuses! Don't throw that bull crap at me, Miss I-have-a-stick-up-my-ass-so-I-don't-party. You two are coming with us whether you like it or not. We haven't hung out since you came here. You don't know what you're missing."

Sakura glanced at Ino, who was currently glaring at Chi. It was true, with all the work in the hospital, they has declined many offers to hang out.

"I don't know." Sakura said uncertainly.

"It's okay, don't listen to her." Yuki said, feeling his sister glaring at him. "There's a bingo tonight at the Inn you're staying at, if you want something more peaceful. They're usually fun to watch, with the old men getting drunk and attempting to hit on the young girls and all. They get very touchy, actually. It's a circus." He finished and there was a momentary silence as the medics digested the information.

"What time?" Ino blurted out. Chi smirked knowing they had won.

"Eight sharp."

"Let's go." And with that, Sakura was dragged out of the room by an angry blonde stomping down the hall.

The two siblings waved them good bye before Chi gave Yuki a high five, their eyes still glued at the hall outside the room.

"Genius." She said.

"Glad to help."

* * *

><p>The door of the bar opened as Ino and Sakura walked in and took off their coats. Winter would come to an end soon, but it was still cold outside. They glanced around and quickly spotted Chi's fiery mane on a far table.<p>

"You made it!" she said when they got there. "I was scared you were going to bail out on me."

"No! Of course not! Bingos are not really our thing." Ino said, swatting her hand. Sakura snickered when she remembered Ino running out of the Inn like the Devil was chasing her when the old men started coming in.

They stayed a while just sitting, drinking, and talking. The one doing the less talking was Miya, who also worked in the hospital. She had short black hair and brown eyes. Sakura figured out she had been dragged here as well and wasn't too happy about it; but, then again, Miya was the quiet type naturally.

"I've always wanted to ask you: how did you managed to escape those bastards?" Chi asked before taking another sip of her drink.

"Actually, they let us go." Ino said.

"Really? That's a first." Yuki said while crossing his arms over his chest.

"They did." Sakura said. "Something about us not being in the village yet, and just let us go."

"So, it's true. They only want us." Miya said while circling her finger on her almost empty glass.

"Not only villagers; anyone that sets foot here. That's what they told us." Ino said. "Although…" she started, Sakura quickly catching up to her.

"What?" Chi asked.

"Although, they did seem anxious while talking about Senkyou." Sakura said.

"_You must have some serious suicidal tendencies to just waltz into Senkyou like this. I myself would not dare set foot in there."_ Ino said, trying her best to imitate the girl's voice. "That's what that little bitch, Rocket, said."

"Yeah, because we have an army just waiting for them to knock on the front door. It's ridiculous." Chi said.

Ino and Sakura exchanged a look. They had not been able to speak with Mr. Nazawa because of all the work, but the village was so small they were sure that if something significant had happened here, Chi and the others would know.

"How did the attacks began?" Sakura asked the young girl.

"Well, it was the end of summer, if I'm not mistaken. The first victims were a small group of farmers whose cattle had escaped and gone down the mountains. They were torn apart. At first, everyone thought it had been a wild animal, until one day another group of farmers was attacked and one managed to escape. He didn't stop talking about these 'strong men with guns and swords and chains and powers'. He died in the hospital a few days later; we weren't able to save him." Chi explained. "After that, the murders became more frequent, until we were visiting the emergency and operation rooms on a daily basis. It was just after the plague, so it was a big hit on us."

"What was this so called plague?" Ino asked. "We've heard so much about it, but we don't really know much besides the fact that it killed many villagers."

"We thought it was a cold." Yuki explained; Chi and Miya nodded. "It started as one and had the same symptoms but… it changed. There were extremely high fevers, loss of appetite, physical pain so strong, the patients were barely able to walk. Then, there were _those_ things…" he trailed off and looked at Miya.

"What things?" Ino asked.

"Hallucinations. The patients started talking about seeing things that were not really there. At first we thought it was because of the physical pain, but what are the odds of all the patients seeing the same thing over and over? It was bizarre. The hospital became a mental facility in a matter of weeks." Miya said.

"What did they see?" Sakura asked.

Chi pondered for a moment. "I remember one of them once telling me about it. He said… he said he saw the… the gates of the cradle of darkness open at twilight… and that the life liquid of the pure one would lead the way, I don't know. I think that was what he said."

"They all mumbled the same nonsense." Yuki said.

"Yes. A week later, half of the population of the village was like this and then… they died." Chi said.

"Just like that?" Sakura asked, unable to believe what she was hearing.

"Just like that." Chi said. "One day, they just stopped breathing. We buried them in the woods so the bodies were far enough in case they were still contagious."

"But how did you stop the plague?" Ino asked. "It couldn't have just disappeared like that… right?"

"It didn't." Miya said. "As soon as the symptoms surfaced again, Doctor Chung developed an antidote. The next thing we knew, the plague was gone."

Sakura stared at the table, hard. She noticed her glass was empty, like everyone else's. "You guys want more drinks?" They nodded eagerly. "I'll be right back. Though, I don't think I can carry all the glasses. Ino?" The blond nodded and the both made their way to the bar, leaving the three youngsters to themselves.

"This is messed up." Ino said as she sat down on a stool beside Sakura as they waited for their drinks.

"Tell me about it."

"The hallucinations could've been a genjutsu, a really strong one. As for the illness… maybe some sort of food poisoning."

"Someone might've poisoned the crops. But why go through the trouble of putting everyone into a genjutsu if they were going to die anyway." Sakura said. "The cradle of darkness…" she mumbled to herself, as if repeating the words would give them a meaning.

"Do you think it's related to the Crystal Sanctuary we found?" Ino asked, remembering the name the nomads had given it.

"Maybe… Wait. What if the 'life liquid' they talked about was blood? It's a liquid. Liquids are poured on glasses, or cups." She looked at Ino, hoping the girl could get the message.

"The goblet?"

Sakura nodded.

"It… makes sense, and at the same time it doesn't. What does an illness have to do with pouring blood in that place? And, who is the 'pure one'? And the nomads, what part are they playing in this mess? This is too much."

"They said Chung made the antidote when the symptoms appeared again. It's as if the plague had come in two rounds." Sakura furrowed her brows. "Why wait so long to help your own people?"

"Maybe she had been developing the antidote when the plague started."

"Something tells me that's not it."

The bartender gave them the drinks and they slowly made their way back to the table.

"What do we do now?" Ino asked as they approached the table. The three youngsters saw them and smiled while waving at them.

"I think it's time we inform Tsunade... and I would like to have a small talk with the Nazawas and Chung."

Ino nodded, approving the decision.

* * *

><p>"I want those because they remind me of Sakura's hair. Oh! Oh! And that one reminds me of Ino's eyes! Can I buy them, Grandma? Please?"<p>

Mrs. Nazawa smiled at her granddaughter. "Of course, sweetheart. Here, let me pay for them." She made her way to the cashier while Haruka spun around, smiling at the colorful place. They were currently on the flower shop, because Haruka had insisted in buying her new 'friends' some flowers. She was examining some pretty white roses when someone approached her from behind.

"Such a young lady shouldn't be alone in such a dangerous place."

She spun around quickly, startled by the stranger; but, as soon as her eyes recognize exactly who it was, she screamed of joy and jumped into the man's arms.

"You're back! You're back! I missed you!" she said over and over again as she cling to him for dear life.

"Your flowers, dea- Oh! Welcome back!" said Mrs. Nazawa as she approached them and handed Haruka the flowers. The man nodded, signaling he had heard her. "Actually, you have great timing. I was just about to visit the family of another victim." This caused the man to frown.

"They haven't stopped." It was more of a statement than a question.

"No. Well, Haruka wanted to give her new friends some flowers, but I'm very late for my appointment. Could you take her to the hospital so she can deliver them?" His dark eyes suddenly seemed confused.

"Are they…?" he started.

"No! No, they recently started working there."

"Oh." He glanced down at the girl as she smiled at him.

"Let's go! Let's go!"

He nodded and said his goodbyes to Mrs. Nazawa before walking to the hospital with Haruka on his arms. It was snowing outside and a small smile crawled into his face as he watched Haruka throw her head back and open her mouth, trying to catch some snowflakes with her tongue.

"They'll make you sick."

"They won't! And we're going to the hospital anyway, so my friends will take care of me." She said as she stuck her tongue out at him. He rolled his eyes at her childish behavior.

"So, you have new friends?" he said as they approached the hospital.

"Yes! They came here to help us! They're from Kona… Koniu… Kon… Mmm…"

The man stopped as his body stiffened. His hand had just grabbed the handle of the door, but it didn't move. He bowed his head; his inky black locks covering his features as he spoke.

"Konoha."

"Yup! That's it! I always forget the name. Come on, come on! I don't want to be late.

His hand pulled the handle as they made their way inside, his body rigid all the way.

* * *

><p>"And, that is how you perform a heart operation. Any questions?" Sakura asked her class.<p>

After what they had learned at the bar, she and Ino had sent a messenger bird to Tsunade with all the information, including what had happened at the mountains with the nomads. That was two days ago, and they were still waiting for a response; but, they definitely felt more at ease now that she was informed. Hopefully, she would send them back up… unless the bird had been intercepted.

A girl from the front row raised her hand and Sakura signaled she could talk.

"What happens if there is a stroke in the middle of the operation?"

"Well, in that case-"

The door of the room opened and Haruka came sprinting towards her. She stretched her small arm towards her, a bouquet of pink roses in her grip as she held some blue roses in her other hand.

"Ooh! Is that for me?" Sakura said, exaggerating her surprise to which the girl's smile widened. She nodded. "Thank you!" the medic said as she brought the flowers to her nose and smelled them. The class erupted in "Ooh's" and "Aww's".

"Where's Ino?" Haruka asked, looking around the room for the woman.

"She's in the pediatric section. I'll take you there if you want; just wait until the class finishes, it won't take long."

"Oh, it's okay! I'll go there now!" she said and started walking to the door.

"Wait, you can't go alone."

"I'm not alone."

Sakura noticed for the first time that there was someone outside in the hall. She could see the shadow on the floor. By the size, she could tell it was a man. At first she thought it was Yuki, but then she remembered he was doing checkups today. Maybe it was a friend of the family.

"Who's accompanying you, Haruka?" she asked.

"Oh. I'll show you. He's my friend, too." She gestured to the man outside to come in. "Come on, I want you to meet Sakura."

"Hn."

Her heart stopped. She felt her whole body stiffened and her breathing pattern accelerate. It was as if someone was gripping her guts and pulling with the intention of tearing them apart from her body. _'That voice…!'_

"Sakura, I want you to meet my friend." Haruka said as she pulled at the man's hand until he was standing at the frame of the door. "His name i- AAAHHH!"

She couldn't finish because the next thing she knew, blood had splattered on her porcelain face as a kunai pierced into Sasuke Uchiha's stomach. Her scream was accompanied by those of the students, who could not believe their teacher had just stabbed a man.

Sasuke grabbed the kunai's handle and pulled it out, throwing it to the floor. He smirked as his hand reached behind him and pulled Kusanagi out of its sheath.

"Aa. It's been a while, Sakura," he said.

"YOU FUCKING BASTARD!"

And all hell broke loose.

* * *

><p>At last, Sasuke's here... and Sakura doesn't seem to happy about it. There will be blood. :D Please R&amp;R!<p> 


	6. Clashing

This is the last chapter I'll pot for now. When I get enough reviews, I'll continue. As I said before, I'm starting university on Monday, so I may not be able to update so often. I apologize beforehand.

Anyway... I have to say I really struggled with this chapter. I don't know, it was just hard to write for me. Also, it might as well be the reason this story is rated M. It's kinda... bloody.

Enjoy!

I do not own Naruto or its characters. The rest, though, is mine

* * *

><p><em>~Flashback~<em>

_Eighteen-year-old Sakura Haruno walked slowly throughout the busy streets of Konoha. It was a hot August night. She had been dating a guy, Ryou, for about two months now and, today, he had called her out to meet at the old bridge to 'talk'. Saying she was nervous was the understatement of the year. She could not deny she liked him, a lot. They had spent many beautiful moments together and she was scared this so called 'talk' would finalize them. Ryou was the kind of goofy guy that liked attention, especially female attention. Maybe he had grown tired of her. _

_These thoughts made her heart sink. She was afraid to face rejection again from yet another guy that had taken her heart._

_She arrived at the bridge and there he was, leaning against the railing, his brown eyes lost in thought. His dark brown hair swayed slowly with the wind. He was wearing his jounin uniform and Sakura couldn't imagine a sexier sight._

"_Hey." She said as she approached him. He _snapped_ out of his daze and looked over at her, his lips parting to reveal a breathtaking smile. Sakura swore her heart skipped a beat._

"_Hey." He said as he pulled her into a hug and buried his face in her hair. "How have you been?"_

"_Good." She mumbled on his shirt before they parted. "Do you have a mission?"_

"_Yeah, in a few hours; but, I needed to talk to you first." He said as he grabbed her hand and they began walking. He intertwined their fingers and Sakura was sure her body would explode form all the sudden emotions that coursed through it._

"_So…" Sakura trailed out after minutes of silence, eager, and afraid, of what he was about to say._

"_I've been thinking… About us…" he said. They came to a stop and just stood there. Sakura looked over at him, encouraging him to continue. "We've been going out for some time now and I'm… well… heh, it's so weird to talk about this." He ran a hand through his hair in a nervous manner._

_Sakura's heart felt as if it would jump out of her chest at any moment. She hoped he would not feel how sweaty her hands were getting; it would be embarrassing. _

"_Just… just say it." Sakura said with a nervous laugh. The look he gave her made her toes curl. He placed a hand on her cheek and caressed her cheekbone slowly with his thumb. Their faces leaned towards each other and they kissed. It was sweet, just lips. When they pulled apart Ryou kept his forehead pressed to hers and looked deep into her eyes._

"_I want us to be together… officially."_

_Her eyes widened. She was so sure he was going to reject her, like all the others before that she was in a state of shock at his words. She could feel the bubble of happiness start to grow inside her and her eyes watered from the intensity of the moment._

"_As in… a couple?"_

_He nodded. Then he noticed the tears start to fall from her eyes and his brow furrowed as he used his thumbs to clean them up. "What's wrong? You don't… what to?"_

_The next thing he knew her lips were pressed tightly against his, her arms buried in his hair, making it messy, as her legs wrapped around his waist. They stayed like that for a moment, clutching the other as if it was their lifeline. Sakura then looked at him, a blush adorning her cheeks and a wide smile on her mouth._

"_I'm just so happy, you have no idea! Yes! Yes, I want to be with you!"_

_Ryou smiled and gave her a quick peck on the lips before spinning her around. Sakura felt like a child all over again as they both laughed as if they didn't have a care in the world. Ryou suddenly stumbled backwards and fell on a solid surface with Sakura on his lap. Sakura glanced at where exactly they had fallen and stiffened. Ryou asked her what was wrong but she didn't answer. Her hand reached out and softly traced the surface of the bench. Ryou caught up immediately and frowned._

"_Sakura, baby, look at me." He said as he squeezed her arm gently. She glanced at him with eyes so filled with sadness he had the urge to flinch. "This…" He gestured at the bench and at her. "Has to end. The only one hurting is you."_

_She glanced at the bench again. Ryou felt the jealousy rise in him. It hadn't been the first time he had to deal with Sakura's emotional trauma over the traitor, and he was fed up with it. He grabbed her forearms harshly to which her head snapped to look at him. He began shouting._

"_He's gone! He doesn't care about you, or Naruto, or anyone else from this village! God only knows, Sakura, how sick I am of seeing you like this over an asshole that even tried to kill you twice! He's gone, and he won't return! If we're going to be together you'll have to get over him, or else this whole thing won't work." _

_Sakura stayed still for a moment, staring, and then embraced him as soon as she felt the tears starting to fall. He was right, completely right. "Forgive me. I'm sorry." She felt his hands wrap around her and she sobbed harder. She was angry at Sasuke and angry at herself. He had ruined her life in so many ways, she wasn't sure she was fixable anymore. But here was Ryou, giving her the chance she needed to get out of the deep hole her feelings for the Uchiha had shoved her into, and she almost blew it a minute ago. "I hate him… so fucking much." She whispered through clenched teeth._

"_I know, baby, I know." He cupped her face to make her look at him. "I promise I'll make you forget him, if it's the last thing I do." He kissed her again. "I love you and I swear on my life I will never, ever, hurt you. I won't break your heart like he did. That bastard doesn't know what he left behind."_

_Sakura buried her face in his neck as her sobs subsided. "I love you." It was the first time she had said those three words, and meant them, to any man since Sasuke had left. It was like breathing again after being underwater for hours. She loved this man and, deep down, she knew he meant his words. She would forget about Sasuke and enjoy this new beginning._

_~End of Falshback~_

Four years. Four years she had been with Ryou. A time that had helped her heal her soul. He had been her first boyfriend and, also, her first time. He had kept his promise: she had been able to forget about Sasuke… until some months ago, anyway.

"Aa. It's been a while, Sakura."

She felt her blood boil. The moment Sasuke Uchiha appeared through that door, every single memory came crashing down on her: his betrayal, his attempts to kill her and the others, Ryou's promise, her relationship with him, his unfaithfulness, and his departure from her life. The moment Ryou had walked out the door with that other woman her emotional state took a turn for the worst. He was no longer there to help her forget. And now, the very man she wanted think of as dead to the world was standing right in front of her, with that infuriating smirk on his face. Her wrath went off like a rocket.

"YOU FUCKING BASTARD!"

She lunged at him with a speed she didn't knew she possessed. With a kunai in her hand and her rage bursting, she was more than ready to slice his throat.

Sasuke was able to block her attacks with Kusanagi. When her kunai fell from her hand she drew back her fist with the clear intention of rearranging his face. He was faster and kicked her in the abdomen, sending her flying to the wall at the other side of the room, students jumping out of the way to avoid being dragged with her.

The hit to the back of her head made her see black for a moment. She stood up with the help of the wall behind her and took another kunai from her pouch. How convenient she brought it with her every day, even if Senkyou wasn't a hostile place.

"Still as reckless as ever, I see." Sasuke said as he paced around the room. The students had moved to a corner and watched silently from there, too afraid to try and get out of the room and be attacked. Also, there was the curiosity for the fight. They had seen Sakura heal and work miracles in the hospital, but they were curious about her fighting skills because they had never witnessed them.

"Still the same arrogant asshole as before." She said and lunged at him again. This time, she was able to stab his shoulder, but was sliced by his katana on her leg. She winced at the pain but recovered just in time to dodge another low kick and put some distance between them. She was able to get a good look at him.

His hair was longer than she remembered; he had also grown taller and was more muscled. He wore a long sleeved dark blue shirt, black fingerless gloves, black baggy pants that reached half-way under his knees and were tucked inside white bindings finishing the rest of the way to his black ninja sandals. A dark grey, thick scarf was wrapped around his neck and a large black coat kept him warm in the cold weather. She followed her gaze as he raised his arm so his katana rested on his shoulder, his eyes focused on hers.

"I have no intention to fight you." He said. She seemed shocked at his words for a moment but quickly recovered and let out a loud, cold laugh.

"Hah! Really now, Sasuke? Too bad, that only makes one of us. Now it'll be less fun." His eyes narrowed.

"Why are you here?" he asked icily.

"None of your damn business, Uchiha."

His serious expression suddenly turned into one of his smirks. "Did you come here with Naruto and the others to try and bring me back again?"

"No, silly! Why would you think that?" Sakura asked as she smiled evilly at him. She reached inside her back pouch under her white lab coat, took out her black gloves and put them on. "Do you still think we want you back?"

Sasuke was, to say the least, amused at his old teammate. It had been years since he had last seen her. Of course, he knew she had changed. He was expecting some sort of hostility towards him if they ever met again. After all, he had tried twice to erase her from the map. He wasn't, though, expecting someone he deemed so emotionally weak and innocent – this was his perception of her- to be this cynical and bloodthirsty.

"We don't." she said as she finished adjusting the second glove. He watched her plump lips part slowly as she smirked back at him, a kunai twirling between her fingers. "We don't need you back. Although…" she stopped twirling the kunai and pressed the tip softly to her chin, as if she was thinking. "You know, now that I think about it, I would try to bring you back… It'll be a sight to watch your neck snap when they hang you." She approached him slowly. She heard gasps from the group of students, but she dismissed them. When she was right in front of him, the hand without the kunai came up to his chest and her finger slowly traced down to his abdomen until it got soaked with the blood from his wound. His hand gripped her wrist harshly and she swore he would break her bones, but she didn't even flinch. "We'll just sit back and enjoy the show… and you'll be dead." she looked him directly to his eyes and saw the anger that was slowly seeping into them. _'Just push the right buttons and he'll snap.'_ Her mouth came close to his ear as she gripped the kunai in her hand tightly; ready to defend herself for what she knew was coming. "Just like the rest of your family."

She felt possessed, like a demon had taken over her body. She felt so much hatred and resentment for this man bottled inside her for so many years that seeing him again were like Christmas and her birthday put together. She had every intention of letting it all out, even if it killed her. She wanted to provoke him and infuriate him to the point he would lose control. She swore to herself the next time she saw him she would get a _real _fight and she would either bring him back… or end his life. With those last words to him, she got what she wanted.

Everything happened so fast. His eyes narrowed at her as his Sharingan activated and he brought his sword down with the intention of running her through. She dodged, but her forearm was caught by his hand and he pierced his sword into her abdomen. She spit out blood and drew her fist back, successfully punching him in the side of the head, sending him flying back. She cursed as the sword was withdrawn forcefully from her. She watched as he stood up, his eyes never leaving hers. A hand was suddenly on her shoulder and she glanced back to see Hiroshi's face.

"Sakura, you have to stop." She growled at him and shook his arm off as Sasuke grabbed Kusanagi again. "Sakura, please!"

"Back off!" she bit out.

"You don't get it! He'll kill you!" Sasuke smirked at his words.

"Not if I kill him first."

"But- Oof!"

Sakura's eyes widened as she watched Hiroshi's body fly back at the force of Sasuke's kick. She wanted to go over to him and help him, but she was too busy blocking Sasuke's attacks. He was coming at her mercilessly.

At a certain point he drew back and she watched as his hands moved rapidly, forming the hand signs for the infamous Chidori. He sprinted at her with the blue bolt in his hand. His face was savage as he raised his fist and she was lucky to dodge it; but, the attack shattered the wall behind her and, with a kick to her stomach, she was sent back to the snow covered streets. She was able to land safely from the two-story fall. She heard the gasps and screams form the civilians around her and watched as some of the students looked down from the hole on the wall. There wasn't much time to examine her surroundings, though, as Sasuke jumped down in front of her and landed a punch to her face. She stumbled back and blocked his next few attacks before grabbing another kunai and slashing across his face and chest. She didn't wait for him to recover as she broke into a frenzied sprint through the streets. Her wounds were beginning to hurt and she felt the blood gushing out of them, but she didn't stop. She felt his chakra closing in behind her. She had to get him away from the civilians to avoid sending any to the hospital. Making a sharp turn, she made her way to the forest, the Uchiha close behind.

* * *

><p>"Okay, Nana, you're good to go. What did we learned today?"<p>

"That I should not climb up the trees and jump down."

"Good girl."

Ino Yamanaka patted the small girl's head as she handed her a lollipop. The girl's features quickly changed from apologetic to ecstatic as she immediately shoved the candy down her throat. Ino shook her head and walked over to the girl's mother. "She'll be okay. I healed everything, but her leg might still feel a little tender for a few hours. The bones are no longer broken, though, so she'll be fine."

"Thank you so much, Ino. We are so lucky to have you girls here to help out. If it wasn't for you, Nana would have to wear a cast for some months. She really hates them." Nana's mother said as she scooped her daughter from the hospital bed and held her in her arms.

"Who doesn't?" Ino said as she walked over to the desk and grabbed her clipboard to see who her next patient was. "Well, you're good to go. Goodbye Nana!"

"Bye!" the girl said with the lollipop in her mouth as she waved at the woman before she disappeared out the door with her mother. Ino smiled to herself.

"Okay, let's see who's next."

Her thoughts were interrupted as something akin to an explosion shook the room. She looked out the window and saw giant pieces of concrete falling down, along with a body. She was able to catch a glimpse of pink and her eyes widened.

"The fuck?"

She watched as Sakura stood up. She was beaten badly, her clothes bloodied and ripped. In a flash she was gone, sprinting off somewhere. Another body then jumped down to follow her. Ino left the clipboard in the bed and left the room quickly. She had heard some strange noises from the second floor, but dismissed them as the staff of the hospital rushing around, since the ER was there; although, with this, she wasn't sure anymore.

"INO! INO!"

She stopped right in front of the entrance, ready to run our after her friend. Turning around at the sound of her name, she saw Sakura's students running towards her. Hiroshi was in the front, clutching his abdomen in pain. She also noticed one of the girls carrying Haruka; the small girl wailing and crying loudly with blood splattered on her face.

"What the hell is going on?" Ino asked as she wiped the blood from the girl's face with her lab coat's sleeve. "Is she hurt?"

"No, she's okay, just scared." The girl carrying her said.

"It's Sakura." Hiroshi said, catching Ino's attention. "She's gone nuts."

"What happened?"

"Haruka came in with Sasuke and she just started attacking him an-"

"Hold on!" Ino said, not believing what she had just heard. "What?"

"She's fighting Sasuke." The girl from before said.

Haruka cried harder and started gasping for breath. "I-I don-n't w-want them t-to d-die." She managed to blurt out.

Ino didn't wait for anymore explanations. She was out the door in no time. As soon as she sensed her friend's chakra, along with another very familiar, she began running towards the two shinobi.

A thousand things ran through her head as she dodged incoming civilians. What was Sasuke doing here? How had he managed to get into the hospital unnoticed? He must've hidden his chakra because she would've felt him come in. Did he know they were here and came to finish them off? Did he come alone? Maybe he had been hiding near the village. It was unlikely anyone would've thought to look for him here.

She made it to the border of the village and sped up as she saw two figures entering the forest at full speed. The cold air was chilling her to the bone and she cursed.

"What the fuck is going on?"

* * *

><p>Sakura jumped from branch to branch at top speed. She had lost too much blood already and her vision was becoming blurry at times. She was feeling dizzy and all she wanted was to stop and pour her guts out; but, the presence behind her and the occasional kunai that whizzed past her prevented her from stopping. Her eyes darted around wildly trying to find a clearing where the fighting would be easier. She could just taste the murderous aura of the Uchiha behind her and she was sure if she stopped now she would be slain.<p>

Trying to buy some time, she formed some chakra senbons between her fingers and twisted back in mid-jump, throwing them at Sasuke. They must've hit because he stumbled back a bit and fell from the branch he had just landed on. It was just a matter of seconds before he would be on his feet again, but that was just the time she needed. Up ahead she saw the clearing she was looking for. She landed and ran to hide in the shadow of a nearby tree. Crouching down, she masked her chakra and waited.

It wasn't long before Sasuke arrived. He walked to the middle of the clearing slowly and stopped, trying to sense her chakra. He smirked when he immediately noticed she was masking it. He was so enraged inside. He just wanted to get his hands on her and make her suffer and swallow her words. There was no reason for her to bring up the topic about his family, yet she had. He knew she did it to provoke him and, he hated to admit it, it had worked. Now, he wouldn't be pleased until he saw her begging for her life, like many before had in his presence.

He made the hand signs necessary for his Katon jutsu and unleashed his fiery fury and the trees near him. He would pry her out of her hiding place. He would make her regret the moment she threw that kunai when he entered the classroom's door.

Sakura was already devising a plan. Once the fire reached her she would have to show herself. There was no way she would be able to move without him noticing. Then something caught her eye. Some yards to her left she saw something move. As she looked closer, she noticed it was a person. Whoever they were, they were hiding as well. She didn't sense any chakra but felt the strong aura the person gave out. Then the sun rays filtered through the leaves above the figure and she saw something reflect the light. She narrowed her eyes to try and get a better look and finally figured out what it was: two guns. The person suddenly turned to look at her direction, their long, black hair swaying with the head movement. Sakura instantly recognized who it was and gasped.

She had to roll out of the way of an incoming fireball. Apparently, her moment of surprise had disturbed her chakra flow and Sasuke had found her. She came out to the clearing and quickly glanced at the place she saw the woman a moment ago, only to discover she was already gone. She came back to the situation at hand when she felt a hand close up on her neck as her body was pushed up against a tree. Her hands instinctively went to grasp Sasuke's, wanting to pry them off her. He smirked evilly at her and tightened his hold, watching as she gasped for breath.

"Not so tough now, are you?" he said. She grabbed a kunai and embedded it on his chest. He growled angrily and stabbed Kusanagi on her chest. She screamed at the pain it brought her as tears welled up in her eyes. She stabbed him again and hissed as she felt the blade dig deeper into her chest. "You stab me again and I'll run Kusanagi through your heart." He warned her, a thin trail of blood sliding down the edge of his mouth.

"Fuck you, Uchiha." She said and spat at him, blood from her mouth splashing over his face. She stabbed again.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her and drew the blade back, earning a whimper from the kunoichi. He was expecting her resolve to have died by now. By the look she was giving him, one of sheer determination, he figured she was more stubborn than he remembered. She didn't break eye contact, let alone blinked, as he positioned the blade just under her left breast and was about to strike.

"SAKURA! NOOO!"

That was Ino's voice he heard, but it was not what stopped him. A sharp pain, stronger than that of any of his wounds, hit him at the side of his neck. He fell to his knees and held his hand over his neck, the intense pain making his head dizzy and his vision black out. He fell back and unconsciousness took over him.

* * *

><p>Well, that was fun! I've read so many stories with fights ending in... well, you know. I don't think I have to spell it our for you. I wanted to make my sasusaku fight different. So there you go. And, apparently, Larissa was snooping around the forest. Wanna know why? Please R&amp;R! :)<p>

I promise to update soon. Bye!

ALSOOO! I want to thank SasusakuIslovelyy for adding Black Veils to his/hers (sorry, I'm not sure! T.T) Favorite stories! It really means a lot. Thank you! :)


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